The Kidnappers (TTT episode)
Summary After Tony Newman and Doug Phillips are time-shifted from Cornwall, England from the year 544, the Project Tic-Toc personnel are puzzled over some kind of interference wave that has shown up on their instruments, since it wasn’t coming from their complex. Then a person in a space suit materializes, asks for Dr. Ann MacGregor, and disappears with her (after some sort of force field fends off several personnel who try to keep him away from MacGregor). However, the alien dropped some kind of data card that looked similar to the kind that the computers used in Project Tic-Toc, which, once Dr. Raymond Swain has it run through a computer, finds some kind of coordinates on the card. Swain and Lt. General Heywood Kirk conclude that they should send Newman and Phillips to those coordinates. Once transported, Newman and Phillips find themselves in a futuristic area, which their only company is an omnipotent voice coming over a loudspeaker, introducing them to several historical figures from the past that amble throughout the area, zombie-like, not responding vocally to Newman or Phillips, nor do they seem to have pulses either. The scientists are instructed to follow a light on the floor that unites them to the voice, the Curator, in person. He informs the two that they are part of an experiment where he essentially takes the souls of people and that Newman and Phillips are next, since they are the very first people on Earth to travel through time. They are also reunited with MacGregor, although she is drugged; the Curator had said at first he would just collect Newman’s and Phillips’s data, but then he figured MacGregor would make a good subject as well. Meanwhile, at Project Tic-Toc, the personnel try to bring back Newman and Phillips, but an alien known as Ott (who had kidnapped MacGregor at the beginning) materializes out of nowhere, stealing Tic-Toc’s space/time converter and taking it with him, rendering the Time Tunnel useless. Newman, Phillips and MacGregor must then outwit the aliens, find the space/time converter and escape from the area before the sun rises, as the aliens have done away with food entirely and just use solar energy to survive, but the sun has set, putting them to sleep, except for Ott. Background information/trivia *This was the only episode where a member of Project Tic-Toc (MacGregor) was taken away from the complex and sent forward in time against her will. *This was the only time in the series where Newman and Phillips were finally reunited with one of the Project Tic-Toc scientists (MacGregor). In the previous episode, Merlin had briefly brought back Newman and Phillips to Project Tic-Toc, but they were just as quickly sent away to Cornwall, England, and also at one point Newman was briefly sent to Project Tic-Toc, but he could not interact with any of the personnel there since they were frozen in time. (”Crack of Doom”) Another episode also had Newman and Phillips being reunited with a retiring member of the staff who was sent to the time period they were stuck in, a Dr. Berkhart. (”Pirates of Deadman's Island”) *There is a goof in the episode, as the aliens have silver skin. However, at one point when Ott raises his left hand, actor Del Monroe’s skin tone can be spotted where the silver paint was not applied. Cast *James Darren as Dr. Tony Newman *Robert Colbert as Dr. Doug Phillips *Lee Meriwether as Dr. Ann MacGregor *John Zaremba as Dr. Raymond Swain *Whit Bissell as Lt. General Heywood Kirk *Michael Ansara as Curator *Del Monroe as Ott Links The episode can be viewed at Hulu.com at The Time Tunnel channel Category: The Time Tunnel episodes